Green Mountain Power Launches Round Two of its InspireSpace Contest

Green Mountain Power has launched its second Inspire Space contest to attract the next round of energy entrepreneurs to Vermont after a successful first year.

Winners receive a year of working space at GMP’s state-of-the-art open concept space in Colchester, VT, as well as access to mentoring and other support services from the team at GMP and its partners. GMP is also announcing that its Inspire Space co-working space is available to people looking for a cool and motivating space to work.

“We hope to build on last year’s incredible success with more trail-blazing energy pioneers,” said Green Mountain Power President and CEO Mary Powell. “While Vermont is known the world over for leading the way in renewable energy use, we want to welcome new ideas about how sustainability and the latest innovations can benefit customers, the environment and the economy here and beyond. At the same time, we want our neighbors to be able to use the space to further their endeavors; that is why we’re opening the space for anyone in need of a place to be inspired.”

Last year’s winners of the Inspire Space contest worked with GMP innovators to produce ideas and products that continue to benefit GMP customers.

Founded at the Urban Future Lab in Brooklyn, Greenbanc delivers home energy scores to homeowners and then connects them with contractors who make home improvements that advance energy efficiency. With Green Mountain Power’s support, Greenbanc moved to Vermont to start operations and beta testing of products with single family homeowners. The company quickly became the leading provider of home energy scores in Vermont.

“The Inspire Space provided low-cost operations and high-level contacts in the energy and entrepreneurial communities,” said North Lennox, founder of Greenbanc, a winner in the 2016 InspireSpace contest. “As a startup in energy, having the support of the leading utility as a partner was a unique advantage and Vermont provided an attractive market for experimentation.”

“Being a member of GMP’s Inspire space has been a fabulous opportunity for the Packetized Energy team,” stated Paul Hines, one of that company’s co-founders. “GMP’s beautiful Inspire space enables our team to collaborate creatively in ways that have led to new ideas and rapid innovation. This space has been a great launch pad for our business, and working with GMP’s innovative team members has helped us to improve our products to better solve real-world clean energy problems,” he added.

Other winners from the inaugural Inspire Space class include Virtual Peaker, Idenergie, and Green Peak Solar. With successes like those as proof of the power of collaboration with Vermonters, Powell hopes the world’s most exciting energy entrepreneurs will join the next round and that many community members will find inspiration in the space.

“We know that when smart, creative people come together with the goal of making the world a more sustainable place, fantastic things can happen,” she remarked. “And growing our economy for the next generation of energy thinkers requires us to encourage more companies to locate here. The Inspire Space contest is a fun and effective way to achieve that goal.”

Contest details:

GMP will accept applications until November 17, 2017.

Up to five businesses will win use of the GMP Inspire Space.

Winners will be announced in December.

Qualifying companies must be in the electrical energy sector and focused specifically on new energy technology or clean energy solutions to benefit Vermonters.

All winning applicants must relocate some or all of their business to the GMP Inspire Space for a minimum of one year.

Winners will receive a relocation stipend, free working space, parking, internet and other support functions.

GMP has developed a simple and easy way for businesses to use their Inspire Space daily or as needed and even offers meeting spaces. Fees start at just $10 per-day and include parking and internet. For more information on GMP’s Inspire Space co-working space, or to sign up for space, visit: http://gmpinspire.com/.